Irish bands who made it here, but were good enough to make the grade elsewhere?

endabob1 · 05-07-2016 9:28am

GottaLaugh wrote: »

I love many of the bands mentioned here, but believe that much of our favour for them comes from green tinted glasses and the fact that their gigs were the background to our youth.
I loved The Stunning (my first gig), but would challenge anyone to name enough songs of theirs on which a successful UK/US mainstream career could have been built. Listened to objectively and in passing the quality was lacking. Be it the songs, the recordings. This is true for many Irish bands even those, that I absolutely love (a House, The Fat Lady Sings).

This +1

Lots of these bands were very decent, but our views are skewed by the fact that we got to see them live regularly/easily, they were on tv/radio so easily accessible and became familar quickly.
There's lots of them, something happens are a great example that I probably seen live well into double figures, but looking back with the exception of 1 or 2 songs I'm not surprised they never made it, nothing hugely original on there. Aslan would be the same, This is, is a great song, but after that.... they are a good pub band, and that's not meant as a criticism because I like them, it's just to sell 1m+ records you really need something more about you.
Also luck & timing, luck plays a huge part, Something Happens (& that petrol emotion, another great local band) were both on Virgin records as it went into a meltdown, meaning albums that should have been plugged (Stuck together & Chemicarazy) got lost in the fallout from record company politics.
I look at bands like Mumford and Sons and genuinely wonder how they sell the number of records they do, I think they are bland and very average. Good timing and luck, someone thought they were sufficiently interesting and different from what was in the market and put some effort into promoting them, they built up some momentum and hey presto they are where they are, same could possibly be said about Hozier.

worded · 05-07-2016 4:03pm

Devlins
Waiting - great track
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2wfHzyeLy0

Ormus · 05-07-2016 4:45pm

Whipping Boy and Rollerskate Skinny

Everlong1 · 05-07-2016 4:51pm

endabob1 wrote: »

This +1
something happens are a great example that I probably seen live well into double figures, but looking back with the exception of 1 or 2 songs I'm not surprised they never made it, nothing hugely original on there. .

Couldn't disagree more with this. I thought they were a fabulous band whose albums were jam packed with great tunes and made a solid progression with each album (excepting the third, which was an ill thought out attempt to jump on the grunge bandwagon). I would compare them to the likes of Weezer and The La's who enjoy both commercial and critical success. Of all the bands from that era I thought they deserved to break out the most.

beauf · 05-07-2016 6:03pm

Never been a big fan of a lot Irish bands. A lot sounded very similar or very derivative of other bands. Maybe thats true of other countries also. But for our population I think we punch well about our weight when it comes to music.

trashcan · 05-07-2016 8:50pm

Stars of Heaven were a fabulous band, and their songs could compete with anyone internationally. Sadly it's not really about songs if you're talking about being a huge megaband. But give me a Stars, or Teenage Fanclub type "ordinary" band with great songs anyday of the week.

UrbanSprawl · 05-07-2016 9:23pm

I know alot of the bands mentioned in the thread,whipping boy,kerbdog but they just weren't commercially viable at the time, when they needed to be,everything was measured in how many cds the record stores sold and given limited funds most grungers would get the new Pearl jam or soundgarden tape/cd and maybe tape the free Irish songs off Dave fannings show or the metal show.I know that's what I did at the time.
Anyway thread set me thinking about Lir.
Lir .in a day is one of the greatest songs ever made imo ..Irish or otherwise.I guess this would typical story for alot of bands that try to crack the states..
‘Good Cake Bad Cake - The Story of Lir’
https://vimeo.com/83920234

endabob1 · 05-07-2016 9:28pm

Everlong1 wrote: »

endabob1 wrote: »

This +1
something happens are a great example that I probably seen live well into double figures, but looking back with the exception of 1 or 2 songs I'm not surprised they never made it, nothing hugely original on there. .

Couldn't disagree more with this. I thought they were a fabulous band whose albums were jam packed with great tunes and made a solid progression with each album (excepting the third, which was an ill thought out attempt to jump on the grunge bandwagon). I would compare them to the likes of Weezer and The La's who enjoy both commercial and critical success. Of all the bands from that era I thought they deserved to break out the most.

I am happy to be disagreed with, I was a big fan back in the day, I just think looking back I do see why they never really broke outside Ireland. The first album sounded really cheaply recorded, stuck together had a few decent tracks Parachute might have been a big hit, but they suffered from record company politics and I think a lack of a real identity. The third album, as you say could have been any one of a number of bands post-grunge.

The band I think should have done much more from that era was the fat lady sings, twist was a great album. Some of Nick Kelly's solo stuff stands up pretty well too, but again timing, they missed the boat a wee bit when arc light didn't chart.

madanall · 05-07-2016 9:41pm

endabob1 wrote:

Lots of these bands were very decent, but our views are skewed by the fact that we got to see them live regularly/easily, they were on tv/radio so easily accessible and became familar quickly. There's lots of them, something happens are a great example that I probably seen live well into double figures, but looking back with the exception of 1 or 2 songs I'm not surprised they never made it, nothing hugely original on there. Aslan would be the same, This is, is a great song, but after that.... they are a good pub band, and that's not meant as a criticism because I like them, it's just to sell 1m+ records you really need something more about you. Also luck & timing, luck plays a huge part, Something Happens (& that petrol emotion, another great local band) were both on Virgin records as it went into a meltdown, meaning albums that should have been plugged (Stuck together & Chemicarazy) got lost in the fallout from record company politics. I look at bands like Mumford and Sons and genuinely wonder how they sell the number of records they do, I think they are bland and very average. Good timing and luck, someone thought they were sufficiently interesting and different from what was in the market and put some effort into promoting them, they built up some momentum and hey presto they are where they are, same could possibly be said about Hozier.

Aslan are a hell of a lot better than a good pub band. Get a grip !!

UrbanSprawl · 05-07-2016 10:03pm

madanall wrote: »

Aslan are a hell of a lot better than a good pub band. Get a grip !!

Are they? I wouldn't rate em much apart from that one song This Is ..if crazy world came on the radio I would change the channel. I appreciate the legend of Aslan sound guys and all but when you talk about great Irish albums and music they are essentially a couple of guys who hit on great song called this is in the 80's and lived the rest of their lives on the back of it.

endabob1 · 06-07-2016 4:39pm

madanall wrote: »

Aslan are a hell of a lot better than a good pub band. Get a grip !!

And despite me saying it wasn't meant as a criticism, it gets taken that way.

The godfather of pubrock,
http://wilkojohnson.com/
incidentally i'm a big fan but I know why he isn't on the cover of rolling stone

It's not a criticism, but if you think Aslan's style of music will sell millions worldwide I think you are very mistaken.

rufus_firefly · 06-07-2016 6:34pm

UrbanSprawl wrote: »

most grungers would get the new Pearl jam or soundgarden tape/cd

Plenty of good grunge bands that never made it over here e.g. Tad. What Ireland needed was a rock scene where a dozen bands had a similar sound allowing a couple to get hugely successful.